I’m looking for a biscuit joiner and a regular jointer. I’m just starting to acquire enough tools to have a decent woodshop and my wife would like me to build a few projects this summer and I’ll need these tools. I would like something that is in pretty good shape since they will have to last me a while. I think a table top jointer would fit my needs, unless you all have tips or reasons that I should look at a full size jointer.

If you still are looking for a biscuit joiner, I just came across a very nice Dewalt. I have personally been using the same model for several years, with excellent results. Let me know if you still need one, and I can provide pics and information.

I have mentioned this in another thread. The Sunhill Bench Top jointers are no longer being sold. They were merely rebranded Geetechs. You can get a GREAT deal on a “Geetech 6 jointer from Woodworkers Supply, and a Ryobi JM82K Biscuit Joiner for $99.00 at Home Depot.

If you intend to keep your tools for a long time I’d recommend getting a full size jointer. You’ll very quickly outgrow a benchtop, and you still have to rig up some infeed/outfeed supports. The short bed length is only good for small projects, and for jointing longer stocks the short beds sort of defeats the purpose of a jointer.

However if you really don’t have the space, for a bit more money try to catch the Craftsman benchtop jointer on sale. I had one before upgrading and it’s built like a tank. Certainly better than one with plastic body and aluminum fence.

Also if you know what you’re going to build, consider a pocket hole jig vs a biscuit joiner. I find myself using my Kreg (R3?) much more than biscuit joiner simply because it’s so much easier and faster.

Jim,
I bought a Dewalt one online about a week ago. It came with a free orbital sander and it was a little cheaper than some other sites. Thanks for the tip.

DB and RedShirt,
I looked at the Geetech but I am limited by space in my garage and money. I do have a Kreg R3 jig already and I use it quite a bit. My first big project is going to be a new dining room table for the wife, hence the biscuit joiner. I was looking into getting a hand planer instead of power because of the money and space. I know it may take more time, but it looks like I’ll be on unemployment when I get back home so I’ll have the time.

Any other advice or tips are welcomed. I’ve never used a hand planer before so I’m a little nervous but I’ll have time to practice, hopefully. Depends on how bad the wife wants this done.

You’d definitely want a jointer rather than a hand planer. It’s very hard to glue up a tabletop if you don’t have squared edges on your pieces. If you are squeezed on budget, other than the Geetech, you can take a look at this Jet Combo.http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/946It’s not something I would recommend but a lot of LJ seem to like it. Make sure you check all the reviews first, some people like it and some really don’t.If you’re making furniture rather than casework, a dowel jig may serve you well. Dowl-it is a good value from what I hear.

If you are just looking to square up edges prior to glue up, you can easily build an edge jointer on your router table. Set the outfeed side of your router fence 1/32” proud of the ininfeed side, and set a straight router bit flush with the outfeed side. This works great for a bunch of folks at zero additional cost to you, assuming you have a router table with a split fence. If you are looking at a jointer to flatten stock, then this obviously won’t work!

Also, I just picked up a mediocre Tool Shop biscuit joiner from Menards for $40 that seems to work OK for the money (emphasis on “for the money”!) but I can’t really recommend anyone buying it unless you are really strapped for cash. I RARELY use a biscuit jointer, so I picked this one up for those rare occasions I don’t do biscuits with my router table.

I like your idea David and I think that’s probably going to be my best bet. Although I still have to build a router table (it was on my project list anyways). The wife was just teasing me because she’s gotten 5 packages in the mail in the last week for tools and I’m not even in the country to work on anything yet.

In my opinion, a benchtop jointer is only of minimal value. It is really only good for truing up edges on small pieces and David is right – you can do this on your router table. I’ve had good results from that approach. I would advise you not to buy a benchtop jointer and wait until you can find a good full size jointer.

I used to use my biscuit jointer a lot. I (and many other people) use it a lot less now. I no longer use it to glue up boards side to side. I use it on those rare occasions when I am gluing end grain and on occasion when I need help with alignment at a miter joint.

Note that in many situations you can cut biscuit slots on your router table or with a gig and a hand held router.

One of my favorite router bits is my biscuit sized slot cutter! I much prefer cutting biscuits on my router table than with a hand-held joiner since I can get much more repeatable depth of cuts at only a slight extra expenditure of setup time. The other use for this bit vs. a biscuit joiner is for cutting slots in cabinet edges to accept biscuits placed in face frames (yes, I did get this idea from Norm’s kitchen cabinet series on the New Yankee Workshop).

I have used the harbor Freight biscuit joiner quite a bit, and while I never change the adjustments, this tool works fine. VERY load motor, but it works. The adjustments look a little rough, this is not a “fine” tool, but it does the job.